The search for a new athletic director is on, as school officials have decided to keep it a full-time position.

There was some question whether the athletic director should take on a dual role, serving partially as an assistant principal or a teacher. However, the School Committee voted on Tuesday to preserve the full-time status based on the many different duties associated with the job — scheduling games, maintaining successful teams, updating equipment.

And Superintendent Edward Fleury said on Wednesday that a full-time athletic director would make more sense given the school district’s enrollment.

A job posting will remain up until March 1. It states that the new athletic director will earn between $70,000 and $80,000 a year.

In April, the hiring process will start with a screening committee consisting of coaches, parents and school officials.

That committee aims to narrow down the list of potential candidates and submit its choices to Fleury, current AD Leo Dalpe and Bellingham High Principal Peter Marano. They will review the remaining hopefuls before making a final selection.

"(I’m) looking for someone who is seasoned — familiar with MIAA rules and regulations — and who has some maturity," said Fleury. "I think there are a lot of difficult situations an athletic director has to deal with. The job takes a great deal of organization: you are constantly scheduling for the next season, constantly paying attention to your equipment."

Also, an athletic director should focus on fostering a balance between sports and education, Fleury said.

"That balance is critical," he said.

Dalpe, who has worked within the Bellingham school system for 39 years, many of them as a social studies teacher, will retire on July 19. The 60-year-old took on the role as athletic director in 2007 after spending three years as a volunteer assistant to then-AD Dennis Baker.

"I’ll be looking for someone who has experience in educational athletics — the understanding that it’s about academics and athletic training," Dalpe said of picking his replacement. "Academics are the most important thing, of course. But then there are a lot of lessons that you can learn from being part of a team; it doesn’t matter if you win or lose."

Allowing for a transition period, the new AD will take over on July 1.